>> reporter: too late for former supporters such as carpenter. >> i don't want her to do anything except for resign. if she doesn't, we'll remove her. >> reporter: jason carroll, dearborn, minnesota. "cnn this morning" continues right now. >> there is a whistleblower that possesses the audio of these recordings and the timing of the release and the decision on whether to release these recordings publicly is up to that person. there are investigators at multiple he levels looking into the pressure and the effort by donald trump and his supporters to overturn the election in michigan and this -- these recordings seem to fit with a lot of other information that we have already. >> good morning. it is the top of the hour. you have heard the phone call where then-president trump pressured election officials in georgia to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election.

now "the detroit news" says there is a recording of trump urging officials in michigan to do the same. >> the supreme court has big decisions that could have a major impact on the 2024 race. trump's team may be going to the high court to delay a defamation case in new york. if you are getting ready to head home for the holidays you are not alone. aaa expecting a record number of travelers this white nationalist. this hour of "cnn this morning" starts now. another tape emerged of donald trump personally pressuring election officials to block joe biden's victory in 2020, this time in the state of michigan. "the detroit news" reporting there is a recorded phone call of trump urging two republican election officials in wayne county not to certify their

county's results. wayne county is home to detroit, a democratic stronghold. now trump reportedly called them right after this meeting a couple of weeks ago after the election where those same two officials initially voted to block the certification before backing down. >> there is no reason under the sun for us to not certify this election. this is reckless and irresponsible actions by this board. >> now, in the phone call after that meeting "the detroit news" reports trump told the officials, quote, we've got to fight for our country, we can't let these people take our country away from us. those officials ended up refusing to sign the official certification and admitted that trump called them. here is how one of the officials described the call a few days later. >> he thanked me for my service, asked me how i was doing. there was a genuine concern for may safety with what he heard,

the threats that were coming in. >> are you saying the president's call had no influence on you recanting your vote? >> absolutely. >> cnn has not heard the recording but it could be crucial evidence for special counsel jack smith as he pursues felony charges against trump for trying to overturn his election loss. let's bring in marshall cohen who has led our coverage on all of this, was our expert on everything colorado related a couple of days ago as well. we lean on you for the details and back story. does jack smith have this tape? >> if he doesn't have it, he definitely wants to get it. it could be a huge piece of additional evidence for the trump federal election subversion trial which is ked issed to go to trial in march, although we will see if that actually holds up. a critical piece of evidence because it fits into a pattern of donald trump pressuring election officials across the country to violate their oaths

and block the certification of the results in key states. that's exactly what he wanted to happen in michigan and according to these tapes with cnn has not obtained, but "the detroit news" has, and they published some key excerpts. i will read them now. the stuff is pretty damning. the first quote is from president trump and he says, we can't let these people take our country away from us. everyone knows detroit is crooked as hell. those rpt election canvassers in detroit convincing them not to certificate the results. also the chairwoman of the republican national committee and the president. mcdaniel said, do not sign it, referring to the certification papers. we will get you attorneys. trump said, we will take care of that. why do you need attorneys if you are not doing anything wrong? that's an incredibly staggering point. the last thing from the call.

trump said, how could anybody sign something when you have more votes than people? okay. that's a false claim. that's a debunked lie. more votes than people because of alleged dead voters casting ballots in detroit. it didn't happen. it was a lie. trumpe trump tried to use the lies to convince the officials to block the certification of the results. they tried to rescind their votes. they couldn't do it. joe biden's he victory was upheld in michigan. >> it shows how close to the line things could get. what about how mcdaniel, still the rnc chair, is responding? >> mcdaniel said all she wanted was an audit of the results before certification to check everything before certifying. i'll read a response from the trump campaign. they are pushing back pretty hard. the spokesman for the trump campaign said that all of president trump's actions were in furtherance of his duty as

president of the united states to faithfully take care of the laws and insure election integrity. that doesn't really hold up. trying to insure election integrity, that's not overturning an election. >> exactly right. martial cohen, thank you. >> an important point. you wouldn't think you would have to make over and over and over again, yet here we are, and all eyes on the supreme court today waiting on huge decision was enormous political implications. special counsel jack smith a asking the court to decide immediately if president trump has immunity and if trump asks the high court to overturn an historic decision by the colorado supreme court removing him from the ballot based on the 14th amendment's insurrectionist wan. trump posting on truth social. i'm not an insurrectionist. cal. sorry. joining us now -- you -- i think

one of the things as all of this continues to play out, the reality remains that there is a republican primary that is ongoing and votes that will be cast in just a couple of weeks and yet this is what continues to rise the forefront because these are huge issues. how are the rivals of the frontrunner, donald trump, responding here? >> the last thing they want to be talking about right now in the final days before the january 15th iowa caucuses is donald trump and that is the position they have found themselves in yet again in light of the recent legal issues that donald trump is facing this week. now, i think florida governor ron desantis made an interesting point with cbs news yesterday. he argued if he could change one thing about the 2024 race would be the indictments against donald trump. he is arguing that the indictments have distorted the dynamics of the primary. we also heard from nikki haley, also in iowa yesterday. she said to voters that she does not think that donald trump

becoming president would be good for the country. take a listen. >> i wish hadn't been indicted on any of this stuff. it distorted the primary. >> is that what you are saying? >> both that, and also it's crowded out, i think, so much other stuff and sucked out a lot of oxygen. >> i want to support you. i also want to hear from you that you also think that there is a danger here. >> i don't think it's good for the country, for donald trump to become president again. >> now, a few interesting points there. one is, i think there is no question what ron desantis was saying wrong. i mean, i think the indictments we have seen time and time again boosted donald trump, they have changed the primary. i am not sure if it would change donald trump's status as the current republican frontrunner for nomination but it definitely helped in his campaign. now another thing that she's candidates have been pointing to is they are making it an electability argument against donald trump, arguing to voters do you want a candidate who comes with all of this drama and

all of this baggage. it's a salient point. in 2020 one the key reasons donald trump lost to joe biden in that election is because there was this trump fatigue. so many people tired of the rhetoric that donald trump was using. they criticized him on the campaign trail. and, you know, now it's hard to see how republican primary voters are receiving that argument, if they are receptive to it. donald trump is clearly still leading heavily in the polls and has infallible support with those republican voters. >> thank you. >> and joining us to discuss cnn political commentator alyssa farah griffin and cnn political analyst john avlon. is the argument having any effect? >> i think it is. so this is -- i am surprised i'm saying this. we have a real gop primary right now. nikki haley is number two in iowa, new hampshire and south carolina. there is a nonzero chance by spring the possibility of donald trump being president will be decide d and will be done.

nikki haley could pull this off. there is a path. now, i say that we does have a massive lead. he is heavily favored in iowa. the motion that is still in his favor very much. she is picking up steam. and i think that while that may have sounded to someone like me who is very against donald trump my former boss, her comments sounded a bit stronger than she said before. i am saying that it's not good for the country for him to be president. she's got the delicate dance, as does desantis, but this is a chance for this to movement with people fatigued by him. >> longer version, the voter question that prompted nikki haley to say that in iowa. >> i want to support you. i also want to hear from you that you also think there is a danger here because this is not good for our country and it's not good for the church and i want to be able to support someone who agrees with that. >> i wouldn't be running if i didn't think that he is not the right person at the right time.

i have said multiple times, i don't think it's good for the country, for donald trump to become president again. i made that very clear. >> is that the dance she has to keep doing though to try to win in a place like iowa, she can't say what that voter wanted, which is he is a danger? >> it's a process of persuasion. she is trying to connect with him. you heard the applause. i think it's evidence even in iowa where he has the most commanding lead there is a degree of trump fatigue. the strongest argument you can make is electability. ultimately it's about who can win elections. and nikki haley has consistently been far and away the person who has the biggest lead over joe biden head-to-head because she doesn't have donald trump's baggage and all the indictments. i think desantis is trying to deflect blame a little bit for a campaign that has blown through $200 million without a ton to show for it. the arguments are going to bek

electability and could be stand chaos. it's bad tore our democracy. >> if there were a scenario, and governor christie has not sig nauld he would endorse, but if he did nikki haley with, within the margin of error in new hampshire. i think you will hear growing calls to say put your money where your mouth is, you are running to stop trump, unite behind the alternative that can beat him. >> nonzero chance is like 0.001%? a very clever -- >> she is the professional perp. but, no. it's true. i know you align. we have been talking about what happened in michigan, the tapes. >> yes. >> i have made this point a couple times this morning but i think it's important to mark it. people gloss over. so much was happening. yeah, yeah, there is a tape. we heard tapes. we heard this type of stuff before. this is completely insane and

also something that the election workers denied happened on the record and forgot or didn't remember anything. it's very clear what happened in the timeline here and it just seems to feed directly into what the special prosecutor is looking at. >> because that's the fact pattern. an effort by the president of the united states from the white house to influence and intimidate people to overturning the election. and you are going to free with marshall's point. the invocation of the lawyer, we will get you an attorney, is an admission that, you know, what we are asking isn't on the up and up. it's inconsistent with your oath. you might be scared to keep donald trump in power but we will protect you. >> how unprecedented this was. this was november 17. three days later was the meeting he called state representatives from michigan. what he was seeking to do, if he could get the press dent not certified in michigan, a key battleground state, they thought there would be a ripple effect that would stop pennsylvania and so on from being certified. it shows our democracy was

hanging by a thread on the backs of canvasser. these are not senior government officials. just people carrying out the work of the government. >> befr we go, rudy giuliani has filed for bankruptcy. america's mayor has filed for bankruptcy and is standing by these destructive lies. >> it is such a fall from grace. it's unimaginable someone who worked for him when he was mayor that rudy, who 20 years ago was one of the most respected people on the planet. >> yeah. >> not just in the united states. 20 years later would have destroyed his reputation in the service of donald trump's lies. ruined his reputation, ability to practice law and declared bankruptcy. it's a self-inflicted tragedy. i hope the totality of his career is remembered because he did great good in certain positions. not without controversy. he was effective as a u.s. attorney, as mayor, certainly on 9/11. but this last chapter has blown it all away. for what? his belief that the law is a search for truth completely under cut.

personal financial independence destroyed in the service of a lie. it's a tragedy. >> is indeed. john, alyssa, thank you. it might be the most wonderful time of year. it's also one of the busiest. what you can expect if you are traveling home for the holidays this weekend. it is a question i know you have been dying for an answer to. people have been talking about this for 33 years. how rich were the mccallisters from homophobic? the -- home alone. we have the numbers for you.

police in prague responding to attack in. you can see officers searching through the university corridors and evacuating people from the buildings. 14 people killed in the attack, 25 others injured. as the violence broke out, students began locking themselves in classrooms, some even hid on the ledge of a building to escape the attack. it's a jarring picture. melissa bell joins us now. what are we learning about the shooter here? >> reporter: well, that body-cam footage really providing chilling insight into what so many students and first responders would have been faced with during that rampage by this 24-year-old philosophy student who went on the attack yesterday at the charles university. it was a frantic few minutes, of course, as the police tried not just to get in and try to prevent him from killing anyone else, but just tried to carry out that triage amongst the

young people, students, of course, who were by then lying on their classroom floors. now, we have got a better idea also this morning of exactly what the sequence of events was, phil. we understand this man left his home where the body of his father was found. it is believed by czech police that he killed his father before heading to the university. the police had been tipped off that he was planning to kill himself, that he was armed. they had evacuated the building in which he was meant to have a 2:00 p.m. lecture yesterday afternoon. it is in fact in another part of the campus that he acted. that evacuation didn't prevent anything at all. there had been questions until this morning as well about whether he had been eliminated by the police after attack during the attack or whether he had taken his own life. police have announced it was in fact a suicide. and i think in one of the most chilling comments we have had from the police this morning they said, look, when you see how much weaponry he had, the kind of ammunition he had, it was the quick intervention of

the police that meant that lives were saved, and yet, phil and poppy, it is 14 people who were killed yesterday in that attack, most students just a few days before christmas preparing to go off for their christmas holidays. a couple of them staff members. really, a chilling killing that is the first that has ever taken place in a school or college in the czech republic's history. phil and poppy. >> melissa bell. thank you. now to holiday travel. millions of people fly or drive to their destinations. so far calm. new york's laguardia airport, you can see the big storm is swirling in southern california. could impact anyone heading to l.a. or san diego or phoenix. pete muntean live from reagan national outside the nation's capitol. good morning, pete. how's it look? >> reporter: smooth, poppy. this is the standard security line at terminal 2. only seven to ten minutes to get through the line right now.

i want you to look at the line earlier. the rush was huge here at 7:00 a.m. the tsa says yesterday was actually bigger than initially forecast. they thought 2.5 million people would pass through security at america's airports. it was 2.64 million people and today will be even bigger. we are talking about 2.7 million people at airports nationwide today. 44,000 flights. the good news is that things are mostly okay at airports across the country. only about 50 cancellations. 500 delays. the faa is warning of some ground stops today in l.a. and phoenix because of that weather you mentioned. also some delays in places like texas and minneapolis because of low cloud ceilings. but the big days are ahead and there is some concern about whether over the weekend and into next week, and that does have transportation secretary pete buttigieg a bit worried. the industry says some of the days are going to be really big,

tuesday to friday, and he says it is imperative for passengers to pay attention to the weather. >> i would say we know that weather is coming our way. it's why you want to make sure that you're keeping in touch with your airline. the big thing that we can control though, that airlines need to control, is how resilient the system is to that weather. >> reporter: 115 million people in total traveling 50 miles or more according to aaa over the next few days. 11, 111 million people driving, and there is an interesting phenomenon because of the timing of the holiday, because christmas falls on a monday, the best times to travel are saturday and sunday. the worst times to travel, though, are really when you get into next week. that is one you could see a confluence of normal traffic. the folks not taking off the full week and folks traveling for the holiday. the good news is the price of gas is down.

the average is $3.12 a gallon. that's down from where we were a month ago, although up a little bit from a year ago. >> all right. pete muntean wishing for smooth travels for everyone. one of the greatest christmas movies ever. "home alone" had kids wondering if they could fend off burglars like kevin did and parents did, how did the mccallisters afford that house and a holiday trip to france for the whole family? we will break down how rich they were next. and if you ever wondered how expensive seven swans a singing or 12 drummers would be, now we have got you covered. the cost of the 12 days of christmas next. look at that.

. everything is booked. >> there is nothing to chicago? >> nothing to chicago, new york, nashville, you name it. everything's gone. >> what about a private plane? >> a private plane from paris to chicago would be out of the budget for, well, almost everyone. but kate mccallister in "home alone" seemed willing bear the cost to get home to see kevin her son, of course. fans of the christmas classic "home alone" have wondered so

much money did the mccallisters actually have? well, you're lucky. "the new york times" crunched the numbers with economists and got some answers. of course, phil is at the magic wall to break it all down. not poor. >> not poor, no. this is the most pressing question of the holiday season. i don't think there is any question about it. just how much money did the mccallister family have? this is why great reporting matters. a huge hat tip to "the new york times" for a great story. let's start with the family home. the mccallisters lived in a wealthy chicago suburb, a home by 1990 standards would have been affordable by chicago's 1%. zillow's current estimated value for this property an eye-popping $2.4 million. which as the "times" points out the best clue to the family's net worth. two words to mind. silver tune-up. >> that's the one, marvin. that's the sill ver tuna.

>> very g. >> it's loaded. it's got lots of top flight goods. stereos, vcrs. >> toys? >> probably looking at some fine jewelry. possible cash hoard. odd marketable securities. who knows? >> so "the times" asked economists in the federal reserve how much would the mccallisters have to earning to live in a home like that? their answer working under the assumption they spent it no more than the recommended 30% on their housing, they would have to ring in $300,000 in 1990, or close to $700,000 in 2023, and today's market would have to be making more than that to be able to afford that home. but, obviously, there is a critical question here. where did the money actually come from? time to dig in. simple answer. we don't know. the movie never explains. but fans have theories. one clue they point to, there are multiple mannequins

scattered throughout the house. that seems rare, you would think. led some to believe that kevin's mom could have been a fashion designer, a career they went with in the official movie. so we think we put a checkmark by that. the "times" spoke to the author who said he made kevin's dad a businessman because it was a safe bet. the uncles, uncle frank, travels with the family to paris. not a beacon of generosity. >> hey, pizza's here. >> that's 122.50. >> it's my brother's house. he'll take care of it. >> of course, there is uncle rob. he pays for the whole family, 15, to fly 30 paris to spend the holiday with his family, four first class tickets for brothers and their wives opening up his apartment, it has eiffel tower views to host them all. this while maintaining as we learn in the sequel the upper west side brownstone that kevin ends up visiting in "home alone" 2. one other theory, organized

crime. this is speculation. we don't know this specifically. but fans say mccallisters' home may have been targeted as a mop vendetta, kevin's violence as evidence, a child exposed to criminal activity. "the times" was not able to rule this out. er neither have my sources we will continue to press for those answers. in the meantime, one player directly involved in this process did go on the record with a very important point. quote, to me with respect to the fans who argue if the parents' north income or house cost should instead simply enjoy the movie. that was from the set director. good advice. >> that is everything for me this christmas. >> what is better, "home alone" 1, 2? there is a 4 arks apparently. >> we watched 2 last night with the kids. they looked the new york connection now that they have -- go to new york sometimes. "home alone," a classic, man. >> luca, my 5-year-old, builds

booby traps all over the house that i may or may not trip on all the time. so thanks to this mav. >> that's a great kid. the tong the 12 days a christmas a holiday staple. >> on the fourth day of christmas my true love sent to me ♪ ♪ four calling pirds. >> three french hens. >> two turtle doves. >> and a partridge in a pear tree ♪ >> of course the partridge in a pear tree. have you ever stopped to think what those gifts would look like under your tree. five golden rings, seven swans a-swimming, ten lords-a-leaping. has to be expensive. andy bernard from "the office" learned that the hard way. >> whoever is giving me the 12 days of christmas as my secret santa, please stop. i can't take it anymore. >> it's a gift. >> i begged dwight and jim to give me aaron for secret santa and i decided to give erin the

12 days of christmas. >> is it my fault the first days are basically 30 birds? >> richard quest has the numbers on how much this would all cost. richard, this may be my favorite conversation with you of the year. so take it away. >> two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree. how much would all this lot cost? well, you've got to work it out. five golden rings. they basically haven't changed in price. the three big ones, shall turtle doves, which are up 25% because of the rarity of turtle doves. number two, partridge in a pear tree. that's a 14%. why? the partridge has to live in a pear tree. the rent on the pear tree up 14%. and the third most expensive, the geese laying. ♪ five gold rings ♪

>> those six geese-a-laying are 8% because they are rare, you cannot get your hands on geese at the moment. put it all together. if you buy the 12 days of christmas, come on together. ♪ five gold rings ♪ >> put it together, $46,730. up 2.7%. pnc bank have been doing this for 40 plus years. >> richard, i know you want us to sing the five golden rings. ♪ golden rings ♪ >> phil, do not leave me hanging here. >> i am intimidated by richard's talent and also very sure richard could get a hold of the geese if he wanted to. that's his thing. >> so -- >> go ahead. >> the number one question. remember, you have to buy the items again and again. ♪ five gold rings ♪ >> you have to buy them again and again and again. so the total cost of christmas,

346, 201,972. that's a gain of 2.5%. come on, stand by. you can do this. ♪'d maids-a-milking ♪ ♪ five golden rings ♪ >> there it is. >> he won't do it. >> richard quest, you are my favorite. thank you, my friend. >> thank you. happy christmas. >> you may have some geese in your office for christmas. >> because i didn't sing? >> be careful. it's rare to have president biden and lawmakers on potato sides of the aisle on same page on an issue. they are on this one. a $14 billion acquisition of u.s. steel by a japanese company. how do steelelworkers fefeel? we w will speak k to the preres next..

the white house breaking a days long sigh len on the controversial takeover of u.s. steel. once an icon, the company could soon be owned by a japanese-owned firm. white house releasing a statement last night saying the president believes the purchase

of this iconic american owned company by a foreign end tie even from a close ally appears to deserve serious scrutiny in terms of potential impact on national security and supply chain reliability. u.s. steel was founded by andrew carnegie and j.p. morgan in 1901. it was once the largest corporation in the world. on monday pittsburgh-based company agreed to be acquired by a japanese steel giant for $14.1 billion triggering bipartisan opposition on capitol hill with some lawmakers saying the deal should be blocked because of national security risks. joining us to discuss, david mccaul, the international president of the u.n. steelworkers union which represents thousands of workers at u.s. steel. to start with the white house statement, the president's top economic advisor saying it had serious concerns. what was your response to that? >> well, obviously, we agree with that as well. u.s. steel and nippon violated our collective bargaining

agreement by not notifying us of this deal. sustainability of our current work force, their employment security and, obviously, the pensions and health care of our retire east. besides the white house's scrutiny on national security and domestic supply chain issues, we are certainly concerned about whole deal. >> the statement from i think u.s. steel and i think nippon officials have said that they would comply with any existing contracts, any existing union contracts. do you not believe that? is there something telling you otherwise? >> they haven't spoken to us about what the deal is or what ni nippon's commitment will be going forward. there is real violations in terms of our right to bid language, successorship language and commitment to capital investment in the future. a statement made by nippon representatives during the call was that they continued to --

they were going to continue the plant in u.s. steel, shut down facilities and transfer works to the non-union operation. >> obviously, the president making clear the security concerns, security review uncertainty potentially already underway to some degree. what more would you like to see the white house and lawmakers do? >> well, obviously, they need to go through the process of the scrutiny of what the deal is. skurnt currently, we have dozens of cases against japan on antidumping issues where they have violate ourd trade laws. we are in favor of trade. we think trade is a good thing. when it's illegal trade where they subsidized their products or selling them below market price is real concerning. and it breaks the law. and they are already doing that. we are worried about does that mean that the facilities in the u.s. in the future will be shut down and then they will continue to import products into this

country and, again, there is exposed automotive issues, domestic supply chain issues, and products which go into food products and some military-grade issues that we make at u.s. steel that potentially could be shut down with different ownership. >> the business aspects, the labor aspects are important. this happening in a political environment heading into an election year where states like pennsylvania and michigan are extraordinarily critical. how much does that play a role in what happens next here? how much will you leverage that to make the points you are making right now on policy? >> it's not about issues around politics. this is, obviously, a bipartisan scrutiny that's going announced. the issue for us is really the long-term security and viability and sustainability of our steel-making operations here in the u.s. owned by an american company, controlled by an american company. >> and have you -- do you plan

to have a conversation with the company, or have you had conversations with the company? you got a 6:00 a.m. voicemail. you hadn't heard in advance. >> they actually called me at 6:00 a.m. on monday morning to tell us what they were going to do. they have -- we have reached out to them and said we were available. we are trying to schedule. >> all right. certainly something we will keep an eye on. david, appreciate your time. thank you. >> thank you. donald trump accused again of pressuring election officials to overturn the 2020 election. this time in michigan and "the detroit news" says it has listened to a tape of that phone call. things are getting better for dodgers fans. the team reportedly agreeing to sign japanese pitching sensation kailer yamamoto. i practiced the name 150 time. 12 years, $325 million and the largest for a picture. beats gerrit cole's contract with the yankees by $1 million. that means the dodgers have spent more than $1 billion in

free agency this season between the yamamoto deal and shohei ohtani. i wish the yankees would have done the same. we'll be right back.

the color purple is returning to the big screen. the film is based on alice walker's 1982 novel, and follows the lives and struggles of black women in the south in the early 1900s, it's produced by oprah winfrey who starred in the original steven spielberg directed film. >> there's nothing that's been

more important or vital to me, culturally, artistically, than the color purple. it is a solid base of spiritual and emotional power for me. >> the reboot is a production of warner brothers pictures, which like cnn is part of warner brothers discovery. it opens on christmas day. we are so happy to be joined this morning to talk about the legacy of the color purple and returning to the big screen and why it resonates with writer, comedian, and actress amber ruffin. you say this is a love letter to black women. what does it mean to have it back on the big screen? >> i absolutely adore the color purrle. and i remember watching it when i was young and realizing that, you know, entertainment had a huge space that black women

could fill, and we're still discovering the many ways that black women can contribute. and it's amazing, like this late in the game, what entertainment is, is evolving, at the hands of black women. but, this color -- the color purple is really special because it's a book that became a movie, that became a musical, that is becoming a movie musical. i think that's really interesting. and that shows how badly we adore this story, we adore it. >> there's a full circle. oprah, who starred in the movie, now the executive producer of this, what does that mean when you kind of think through the through line that you were just laying out? >> i know, it -- i was watching all of her interviews, and i'm like, it must feel really good to be able to give back to the show that gave her so much, you know, because that really let us know that she was a true

actress, you know, and now she gets to extend that to the rest of these actors, and it's pretty cool. >> obviously, the movie is -- there's a now viral clip going around about star, superstar, cast member taraji p. henson telling gayle king that she considered quitting acting because of the inequity, that's another really important through line, something we can't miss in talking about what she has gone through and where she is now. >> isn't it nuts how what she was talking about mirrors -- >> yes. >> the color purple. >> yes. >> the color purple is, you know, black women figuring out their worth and their value, and she is literally doing that. and, you know, forging her way in hollywood, which is crazy, i'm saying forging, but she's had a career for a billion years. but she's forging her way through hollywood and she's dragging people with her, like

all of the people that were in her amen corner, like gabrielle union, and robin thedy, those are the people i text when i get a new job. i text robin thedy, they're offering me this, what's this, and you best believe that girl has a spread sheet, and it has everything that everyone has made and, you know the ranges and stuff, and she has to, or else they will lowball her like crazy. and, you know, and taraji p. henson is one of those people where, if you have a problem of any kind, you go to them and they've already been through it and they already have a solution and they have a guy for that, you know. >> robin thedy was the one with the viral tweet saying this is an oscar-nominated actress, that's completely bonkers. >> it's nuts. i click on the reason i saw that interview she gave is because i

cli click on her when i see her. i can't help it. not because i read the headline, i was just -- oh, i want to see what she has to say. but it's always something great like this, it always is, yeah. >> yeah. one of my favorite films in stories is hidden figures and, you know, it's different than this, but, you'll never forget her standing up in that film and standing up for equality and the fight that continues, that's the point. >> yeah. >> the fight that very much continues. >> yeah, i -- i just think, it's not -- she's not saying anything new, right? she's not saying anything we don't know. but to watch her say it, after you've loved her, in 500 different roles, is crazy. but yeah, it's still happening, and she still has to -- like i see why she got so emotional. because it's like -- it's embarrassing, and it's infuriating, but she shouldn't feel either of those things. >> it should be embarrassing for

anyone that dares lowball. >> that's exactly right. >> it's not new but you also say it's still happening and that's why it's important and why it resonated. amber ruffin, thank you so much. >> see you guys on christmas at the movie theater. >> okay, yes, that's exactly right, thank you. before we go, we want to say good-bye and wish our best, didn't want this to happen, but our studio operator emily summer and heading off to other opportunities on the west coast. >> she is our sun, and she's going to a very sunny place, it has been a joy, joy, joy to have her with us. she will be greatly missed. and "cnn news central" starts after this break, have a great weekend.

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